Advice for beginner used kayak purchase

Advice
#41

I found an OT Dirigo 120 for $300 nearby. Any thoughts?

#42

Looks like a good boat for you. Does it come with paddle and PFD?
If not, I recommend a 230 cm Aquabound with a carbon fiber shaft and nylon/plastic blades.
Get a comfortable PFD.

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#43

That’s a very well made rec kayak. It’s very similar to our OT Loon 106s but at 12 feet long you’ll find it even better for all-around rec uses.

I’d strongly recommend you get is some floatation for the bow because that boat doesn’t have a front bulkhead. Float bags---- or simply using yoga ball. (get a few in different sizes and if you don’t fill them totally full of air they will mold to the inside of the bow and give you good flotation)

In your practice of reentry’s you’ll find such kayaks sink in the front, so you have to bail them out while you float along side if you have no method to keep the bow floating. Hence my advice.

You’ll need a good bilge pump and a collapsible bucket is very nice too. Tie the bucket on with a 2-1/2 foot line inside the cockpit so it can’t fall out and sink when the kayak is upside down… They drop behind the seat back and you use them when needed

(Like one of these) https://www.amazon.com/SAMMART-Super-Collapsible-Plastic-Bucket/dp/B07MRKCT9C/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Silicone%2BCollapsible%2BBucket&qid=1671557235&sr=8-2&th=1

My wife Anna and I both got paddle floats and learned to do reentry’s, both assessed and alone. It was some time very well spent.

Wide body rec kayaks are very stable and so far more difficult to capsize then a sea kayak, but because of that fact they are harder to right and reenter too. If you keep the bow from sinking and have a bailing bucket and bilge pump you can learn to get back in and have the hull bailed out in pretty short order.

Anna can do a reentry without a paddle float but I cannot. She is quite tall and thin, yet very strong and so she can grip onto the center of the cockpit or over the hull and grab the off side combing and launch herself up and into the cockpit. I have short arms and I always simply pull the kayak back over upside down when I try the same thing. So for me with my OT kayak I need a float. With my touring kayaks I can do a cowboy scramble very fast and be back in, but not with my Rec Kayak.

To right the kayak when it’s upside down I use the same method I was taught in the Marines to right a boat. Take a 4 foot line and tie it to the seat mount near the side and tie a small weigh to it’s other end. ( used a 3/4" brass nut.) When the boat capsizes the line falls into the water and the nut sinks straight down, so you simply run your hand along the side to find the line. Throw the nut over the upside down hull so it’s on the other side, over it’s bottom. Turn the boat around and grab that nut and then place a foot on the hull and push it away with your leg as you hold the line. The boat rights itself almost effortlessly.
Use the paddle float and get back into the cockpit and then use a bailing bucket to empty it down to about 2". Use the bilge pump to empty the rest and your golden.

The best advice I was ever given when I started kayaking was “LEARN TO DO EXITS AND REENTRYS BEFORE YOU LEARN ANYTHIGN ELSE”
I took that as if it was “thus sayith the LORD” and I did it.

Inside just a few months I was VERY happy I did. 2 times I had to do it for real. It was fast and easy when I needed it because we had done it in practice probably 100 time before it was actually needed.
I would say the same thing to you.

Learn that 1st.

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#44

As others have said it would be a good boat for your needs I think. So much depends on condition and what comes with it if anything. I would add a yoga ball to the bow and check that the rear bulkhead is still sealed.

We have two piece paddles we got from Amazon that were only 30-40 bucks they are aluminum tubes with molded plastic blades and they get the job done. IMO spend money on good quality PFD is a must.

I don’t know where your lake is but keeping track of water temp is the best safety measure you can do. Right around 60f or below is where you want to plan your usage and start getting into thinking about cool water wear.

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#45

I started the journey with a 12’ rec boat and an aluminum paddle with plastic blades. Paddles have probably changed since then, but mine was stout enough I could have split firewood and dug holes with it. It lasted until I tried an Aquabound which was one good trip.
I don’t know how much paddling you intend to do but the lighter the paddle, the better the experience . The paddles that have lasted for me are carbon. Boats have come and gone ; the paddles have stayed.

#46

The Dirigo for $300 is a good buy and would make a greast guest boat if you outgrow it. As a point of comparison to others in the market for a similar boat, the 125 Tsunami has a front bulkhead, is a few inches longer, 1 1/2 inches narower, has a load capacity of 300 vs the Dirigio 350 lbs and the weight is the same. The going used price is about an addiotional $300, as is the price new. I paddle a 125 for a while at 250 lbs and felt comfortable in it.

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#47

When you get your boats, please post photos :blush:.
As to outgrowing, I did and am now back to a Pungo 140. I have a much quicker boat in the garage that one day I hope to be as comfortable in as the Pungo.
And congrats for paddling as a couple.

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#48

I have a 12’ Tribute as my short boat, and I love it. It does not have bow flotation or a bulkhead or dry storage there(it does in the stern), and is designed for a smaller person. It’s comfortable, tracks pretty well for 12’, and is fast for its size. Definitely sit in it and see what you think.

#49

That Tribute is a great kayak. I had one. Read the reviews on it.Everyone loves it. If you are only going on the lake this 12’ yak is PERFECT!! Just but it you wont be sorry.

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#50

I think 12’ is pretty ideal lake shore and flat river exploration, where someone’s going out for a leisurely paddle and doesn’t have or doesn’t want to engage the skills to get a bigger boat be as responsive to turn.

#51

I would suggest a float bag for the bow unless you will be using it in protected water near shore. Without both bow and stern floatation it is unlikely you can self rescue in it and it might be very difficult to tow to shore over any distance. With added floatation, it’s a perfectly good boat.

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#52

Compare to 125 Tsunami.

#53

I haven’t seen a Tsunami 125 in person, but I bet you’ll find that the Tribute is a little lower in volume - the deck is probably lower and I think it’s narrower.

I use float bags in the bow… I practiced self rescues a few times without them, and the bow sinks a bit if it’s swamped. It does make it harder to get back in! I use my sea kayak if I’m in tougher conditions anyway. But I love my Tribute.

#54

You are correct. Other than statistics, the main difference is the Tsunami has a forward bulkhead. The Tribute and Tsunami will have a proprietary seat for the brand, then it depends on your prefernce for Perception or the Widerness System Phase 3 seat system. Another factor is whether you need increased capacity.

I used the 125 Tsunami when I weighed 250 lbs and didn’t realize that my weight technically overloaded it by about 45 lbs. It handles open water well, tracks well, but the 12 ft length obviously caused it to tether on larger waves and plunge, so I decide to upgraded to a 145 @ 24.5 wide, then a 175 @24 inches, which is actually the right size boat for my size.

Statistic comparison is below:

12’ / 12’ 9"
24.5" / 26"
42 lb / 42 lb
240 lb / 300 lb capacity

#55

Compare Old Town Dirigio:

12 ft, 27.5 in wide, 52 lb, 350 lb capacity.